HOUSTON – High-profile Harris County Judge Kelli Johnson, who was arrested for driving while intoxicated last month, appeared in court Tuesday morning.
On June 25, Judge Kelli Johnson, who currently serves as the presiding judge of the 178th Criminal District Court, was pulled over by an officer with the Houston Police Department and charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor.
Hours later, she posted a $100 bond and was released from jail.
Johnson’s lawyer, Christopher L. Tritico, sent a statement to KPRC 2 saying his client was not intoxicated when she was pulled over in the 11600 block of Hempstead Road by the HPD officer, and that she volunteered to take a breath test.
Tritico said the breath test came back 0.0, which means no alcohol was found in her system.
“This situation was not caused by an alcohol or drug abuse issue. The brief medical episode is being immediately addressed with her doctor. She asks for privacy while addressing this personal health matter,” Tritico’s statement said, in part. “Judge Johnson has served Harris County with distinction for more than 20 years, as a judge and former Assistant District Attorney. She looks forward to returning to the bench and continuing to provide respect, fairness, and justice to all who come before her.”
Judge Johnson has presided over many cases in her judicial capacity, from state jail felonies to capital murder cases. The most notable were the AJ Armstrong trial and the Brian Coulter trial.
She presided over all three of Armstrong’s cases. The first two attempts by the prosecution were declared mistrials in 2019 and 2022 because the juries couldn’t reach a verdict either time.
Jude Johnson’s next court date is set for Aug. 6.
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